The Flash: Pilot

The Flash: Pilot
The CW
October 7, 2014
Sci-Fi, Action
DVD
B-

Recurring cast:

• Tom Cavanagh as Dr. Harrison Wells
• Fulvio Cecere as Officer Vukuvich
• Rick Cosnett as Detective Eddie Thawne
• Grant Gustin as Barry Allen
• Michelle Harrison as Nora Allen
• Jesse L. Martin as Joe West
• Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow
• Candice Patton as Iris West
• Chad Rook as Clyde Mardon
• Patrick Sabongui as Captain David Singh
• John Wesley Shipp, who was Barry Allen on the early '90s version of The Flash, fittingly plays Barry's father Henry
• Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon
• Logan Williams as Young Barry

Also, Osmond L. Bramble, who's "Uniform with Junkie" here, would later be a Bouncer.

I was pleasantly surprised by this, considering it's from the same team responsible for Arrow.  In fact, Stephen Amell appears in one scene as Arrow, his first of seven cameos on this brother series.  There's even the same director for both pilots, David Nutter, but this time he manages to get much more natural performances.  (Patton is a partial exception, a bit awkward in some of her scenes.)  Also, some of those 21st-century action tics seem to be under control, so that there's only quick-cutting and other gimmicks when it actually serves the plot.

Furthermore, the cast and characters, villain and secret villain included, are actually likable rather than irritating.  In fact, Valdes is downright charming and I could watch twenty minutes of Cisco grinning and wisecracking, or looking amazed.  Gustin is more serious, as the lead with a Tragic Backstory (TM), but he has a sincerity and vulnerability that feels rare compared to the little bit of superheroic stories I've seen.  As with Birds of Prey, I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out over the season.

Co-creators Greg Berlanti, Geoff Johns, and Andrew Kreisberg wrote this episode.